Judges 1

1 Now after the death of Joshua it came to pass, that the children of Israel asked the LORD, saying, Who shall go up for us against the Canaanites first to fight against them?

After the death of Joshua, the Israelites inquired of the LORD, “Who will be the first to go up and fight for us against the Canaanites?”

2 And the LORD said, Judah shall go up: behold, I have delivered the land into his hand.

“Judah shall go up,” answered the LORD. “Indeed, I have delivered the land into their hands.”

3 And Judah said to Simeon his brother, Come up with me into my lot, that we may fight against the Canaanites; and I likewise will go with thee into thy lot. So Simeon went with him.

Then the men of Judah said to their brothers the Simeonites, “Come up with us to our allotted territory, and let us fight against the Canaanites. And we likewise will go with you to your territory.” So the Simeonites went with them.

4 And Judah went up, and the LORD delivered the Canaanites and the Perizzites into their hand: and they slew of them in Bezek ten thousand men.

When Judah attacked, the LORD delivered the Canaanites and Perizzites into their hands, and they struck down ten thousand men at Bezek.

5 And they found Adoni-bezek in Bezek: and they fought against him, and they slew the Canaanites and the Perizzites.

And there they found Adoni-bezek and fought against him, striking down the Canaanites and Perizzites.

6 But Adoni-bezek fled; and they pursued him, and caught him, and cut off his thumbs and his great toes.

As Adoni-bezek fled, they pursued him, seized him, and cut off his thumbs and big toes.

7 And Adoni-bezek said, seventy kings, having their thumbs and their great toes cut off, gathered [their food] under my table; as I have done, so God hath requited me. And they brought him to Jerusalem, and there he died.

Then Adoni-bezek said, “Seventy kings with their thumbs and big toes cut off have gathered the scraps under my table. As I have done to them, so God has repaid me.” And they brought him to Jerusalem, where he died.

8 (Now the children of Judah had fought against Jerusalem, and had taken it, and smitten it with the edge of the sword, and set the city on fire.)

Then the men of Judah fought against Jerusalem and captured it. They put the city to the sword and set it on fire.

9 And afterward the children of Judah went down to fight against the Canaanites that dwelt on the mountain, and in the south, and in the valley.

Afterward, the men of Judah marched down to fight against the Canaanites living in the hill country, in the Negev, and in the foothills.

10 And Judah went against the Canaanites that dwelt in Hebron: (now the name of Hebron before [was] Kirjath-arba: ) and they slew Sheshai, and Ahiman, and Talmai.

Judah also marched against the Canaanites who were living in Hebron (formerly known as Kiriath-arba), and they struck down Sheshai, Ahiman, and Talmai.

11 And from thence he went against the inhabitants of Debir: and the name of Debir before [was] Kirjath-sepher:

From there they marched against the inhabitants of Debir (formerly known as Kiriath-sepher).

12 And Caleb said, He that smiteth Kirjath-sepher, and taketh it, to him will I give Achsah my daughter for a wife.

And Caleb said, “To the man who strikes down Kiriath-sepher and captures it, I will give my daughter Acsah in marriage.”

13 And Othniel the son of Kenaz, Caleb's younger brother, took it: and he gave him Achsah his daughter for a wife.

So Othniel son of Caleb’s younger brother Kenaz captured the city, and Caleb gave his daughter Acsah to him in marriage.

14 And it came to pass, when she came [to him], that she moved him to ask of her father a field: and she lighted from off [her] ass; and Caleb said to her, What wilt thou?

One day Acsah came to Othniel and urged him to ask her father for a field. When she got off her donkey, Caleb asked her, “What do you desire?”

15 And she said to him, Give me a blessing: for thou hast given me a south land; give me also springs of water. And Caleb gave her the upper springs, and the nether springs.

“Give me a blessing,” she answered. “Since you have given me land in the Negev, give me springs of water as well.” So Caleb gave her both the upper and lower springs.

16 And the children of the Kenite, Moses's father-in-law, went up out of the city of palm-trees with the children of Judah into the wilderness of Judah, which [lieth] in the south of Arad; and they went and dwelt among the people.

Now the descendants of Moses’ father-in-law, the Kenite, went up with the men of Judah from the City of Palms to the Wilderness of Judah in the Negev near Arad. They went to live among the people.

17 And Judah went with Simeon his brother, and they slew the Canaanites that inhabited Zephath, and utterly destroyed it. And the name of the city was called Hormah.

Then the men of Judah went with their brothers the Simeonites, attacked the Canaanites living in Zephath, and devoted the city to destruction. So it was called Hormah.

18 Also Judah took Gaza with its border, and Askelon with its border, and Ekron with its border.

And Judah also captured Gaza, Ashkelon, and Ekron—each with its territory.

19 And the LORD was with Judah; and he drove out [the inhabitants of] the mountain; but could not drive out the inhabitants of the valley, because they had chariots of iron.

The LORD was with Judah, and they took possession of the hill country; but they could not drive out the inhabitants of the plains because they had chariots of iron.

20 And they gave Hebron to Caleb, as Moses said: and he expelled thence the three sons of Anak.

Just as Moses had promised, Judah gave Hebron to Caleb, who drove out the descendants of the three sons of Anak.

21 And the children of Benjamin did not drive out the Jebusites that inhabited Jerusalem; but the Jebusites dwell with the children of Benjamin in Jerusalem to this day.

The Benjamites, however, failed to drive out the Jebusites living in Jerusalem. So to this day the Jebusites live there among the Benjamites.

22 And the house of Joseph, they also went up against Beth-el: and the LORD [was] with them.

The house of Joseph also attacked Bethel, and the LORD was with them.

23 And the house of Joseph sent to explore Beth-el. Now the name of the city before [was] Luz.

They sent spies to Bethel (formerly known as Luz),

24 And the spies saw a man coming out of the city, and they said to him, Show us, we pray thee, the entrance into the city, and we will show thee mercy.

and when the spies saw a man coming out of the city, they said to him, “Please show us how to get into the city, and we will treat you kindly.”

25 And when he showed them the entrance into the city, they smote the city with the edge of the sword: but they let go the man and all his family.

So the man showed them the entrance to the city, and they put the city to the sword but released that man and all his family.

26 And the man went into the land of the Hittites, and built a city, and called the name of it Luz: which [is] its name to this day.

And the man went to the land of the Hittites, built a city, and called it Luz, which is its name to this day.

27 Neither did Manasseh expel [the inhabitants of] Beth-shean and its towns, nor Tanach and its towns, nor the inhabitants of Dor and its towns, nor the inhabitants of Ibleam and its towns, nor the inhabitants of Megiddo and its towns; but the Canaanites would dwell in that land.

At that time Manasseh failed to drive out the inhabitants of Beth-shean, Taanach, Dor, Ibleam, Megiddo, and their villages; for the Canaanites were determined to dwell in that land.

28 And it came to pass when Israel was strong, that they subjected the Canaanites to tribute, and did not utterly expel them.

When Israel became stronger, they pressed the Canaanites into forced labor, but they never drove them out completely.

29 Neither did Ephraim expel the Canaanites that dwelt in Gezer; but the Canaanites dwelt in Gezer among them.

Ephraim also failed to drive out the Canaanites living in Gezer; so the Canaanites continued to dwell among them in Gezer.

30 Neither did Zebulun expel the inhabitants of Kitron, nor the inhabitants of Nahalol; but the Canaanites dwelt among them, and became tributaries.

Zebulun failed to drive out the inhabitants of Kitron and Nahalol; so the Canaanites lived among them and served as forced laborers.

31 Neither did Asher expel the inhabitants of Accho, nor the inhabitants of Zidon, nor of Ahlab, nor of Achzib, nor of Helbah, nor of Aphik, nor of Rehob:

Asher failed to drive out the inhabitants of Acco, Sidon, Ahlab, Achzib, Helbah, Aphik, and Rehob.

32 But the Asherites dwelt among the Canaanites, the inhabitants of the land: for they did not expel them.

So the Asherites lived among the Canaanite inhabitants of the land, because they did not drive them out.

33 Neither did Naphtali expel the inhabitants of Beth-shemesh, nor the inhabitants of Beth-anath; but he dwelt among the Canaanites, the inhabitants of the land: nevertheless, the inhabitants of Beth-shemesh and of Beth-anath became tributaries to them.

Naphtali failed to drive out the inhabitants of Beth-shemesh and Beth-anath. So the Naphtalites also lived among the Canaanite inhabitants of the land, but the inhabitants of Beth-shemesh and Beth-anath served them as forced laborers.

34 And the Amorites forced the children of Dan to the mountain: for they would not suffer them to come down to the valley:

The Amorites forced the Danites into the hill country and did not allow them to come down into the plain.

35 But the Amorites would dwell in mount Heres in Ajalon, and in Shaalbim: yet the hand of the house of Joseph prevailed, so that they became tributaries.

And the Amorites were determined to dwell in Mount Heres, Aijalon, and Shaalbim. But when the house of Joseph grew in strength, they pressed the Amorites into forced labor.

36 And the border of the Amorites [was] from the ascent to Akrabbim, from the rock, and upward.

And the border of the Amorites extended from the Ascent of Akrabbim to Sela and beyond.